Please contact state or local offices of the USDA if you were impacted by recent storms in Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. Pass this information to people that may be unaware of the USDA’s assistance programs for past and future storms and disasters. In the designated “impact zones,” assistance is offered related to housing and shelter, low-interest loans for financial relief, and many safety-net programs to help producers recover from eligible crop and livestock losses. Following disasters, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) coordinates with other organizations to provide food for shelters and other mass feeding sites. In addition, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service offers tips for food safety during power outages.
For future reference, the USDA press Release No. 0013.17 indicates, “Producers should use form FSA-576, Notice of Loss, to report prevented planting and failed acres in order to establish or retain FSA program eligibility. Prevented planting acreage must be reported no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date as established by FSA and USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA). Producers must file a Notice of Loss for failed acres on all crops including grasses in a timely fashion, often within 15 days of the occurrence or when the losses become apparent. Producers of hand-harvested crops must notify FSA of damage or loss within 72 hours of when the date of damage or loss first becomes apparent.”
